Galactic Plague
by Grand Moff Trachta
Summary: Luke, Han, and Chewie are on a routine mission to planet Angoth 4 to discover the reason for its failed communications to the New Republic, when they discover it may the homeworld of the mysterious vampirelike Anzati.
1. Revisiting Jabba

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 1-Revisiting Jabba)

"This is your last chance, Jabba. Free us, or die," Luke threatened as he stood on the durasteel plank. The slug-like Hutt ignored him, saying, "No. Put him in!"

On schedule, R2-D2 was positioned on the deck of Jabba's Sail Barge, awaiting Luke's signal.

Luke saluted Artoo, revealing his true plan, the Lightsaber! He could hear the servos whining in Artoo's dome-shaped head. Just when the young Jedi's weapon was supposed to launch, it didn't. "Oh, no!" Luke thought. The Lightsaber was stuck!

"Noooo!" Luke yelled, as Jabba screamed a command in Huttese to the Skiff Guard. "Now!" Jabba belched at the Weequay, who promptly pushed Luke into the beast, waiting in the sand below. Down, down, down fell Luke into the murky depths of the Sarlaac's stomach.

"Nooo!" Luke kept yelling, tangling himself in his thermocloth sleeping cot.

"Hey, kid, snap out of it," said Luke's longtime friend (and now brother-in-law), Han Solo. "No,no,no,oh! Sorry Han," the Jedi exclaimed. "Just a nightmare, I guess."

"Right. Ok, then Luke. Get yourself ready and meet me at the controls," said Han, referring to his ship, _The Millennium Falcon_. "Ok, Han. I'll be right there."


	2. The Mission

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 2- The Mission)

Incoming Transmission from New Republic High Command: Hello, General Skywalker, General Solo, Chewbacca. It's good to see you again," said Mon Mothma, one of the Rebellion's founders. "Now that you're deep into the Wild Space Region, I can brief you on your mission without any Imperial's listening. Let me show you the cause of your mission: Angoth 4." Mon Mothma brought up a feed from the HoloNet. The camera was observing a small settlement on Angoth 4, a small mining world discovered only 3 years ago.

Mon Mothma continued "This New Republic colony world was populated just last year. We lost all contact with it last month. Now, for your mission. Make your way to Angoth 4, make contact with its Senator, Righ Aurria, who also disappeared, and find out who is to blame for this incident."

Mon Mothma looked around tiredly, but said nothing more about the mission. "May the Force be with you," she said before switching off the holoprojector.

"Well, Luke, this should be easy," Han said as Mon Mothma's Holo disappeared. "Oh wow. She picked a good time to pass the news on our "big" mission. We're in the Angoth System now."

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Luke, repeating the old expression as he watched Angoth 4 get closer and closer.


	3. Arrival on Angoth

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 3-Arrival on Angoth)

"This place doesn't look too friendly, does it now?" Han asked Luke sarcastically as they walked down the _Falcon_'s landing ramp. "Well, let's look at the facts," said Luke, pulling out his datapad.

"Angoth 4 Files…..Accessing….Accessing….Permission Granted!" read the datapad's screen. "Angoth 4… New Republic mining world…rich in various Spice types…Angoth 4 receives little sunlight due to extreme distance from nearest star…dense fog is common on surface…blah, blah, blah," read Han over Luke's shoulder. "Angoth 4 looks like our typical mission. What fun this is going to be," he muttered to himself. "Oh well. C'mon, Chewie. Let's check this place out and get out of here."

As Luke, Han, and Chewie began their journey to the mining settlement, a dark figure watched from the shadows of a nearby cave. Hiding there was easy to do, as one cave didn't stand out much next to the many others that made up the surface of Angoth 4. "I see them now," said the figure into a helmet comlink. "Time to get paid," said the cold drawl of the finest Bounty Hunter in the known galaxy, Boba Fett.


	4. The Nightmare Begins

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 4- The Nightmare Begins!)

After Luke, Han, and Chewie continued their walk to the city for several hours, they came to a cliff that overlooked the capital city of Angoth 4, Rakkitan. The buildings were small compared to the skyscrapers of Coruscant, but each of the city's towers still stood around 100 meters tall. "Well, it does look deserted. Let's check some of the buildings first before we break the news to Mon Mothma," Han said.

"See anything, kid?" the Corellian asked Luke. They had decided to split up, each checking three separate buildings to cover more ground. "Nothing," said Luke. "It's like they just got up and left." Chewie's speculation was the same, so Han decided to regroup and get out. _The whole planet's kinda creepy _Han thought. _The fog, the darkness… it's all too unreal. And just where did everyone go?_

"Raaaaaaaarr!" bellowed Chewie, interrupting Han's thoughts. "Luke! Chewie's in trouble! What's going on?" Han yelled Han yelled into his comlink. "I don't know," was Luke's response. Right after Chewie's call for help, Han and Luke raced to the building Chewie was exploring. "This must be some sort of Hotel," Luke thought as they entered into some sort of lobby. "Raaaar! Arf, arf, raaaaar!" Chewie yelled again from down the hallway.

As Han and Luke ran down the hall, there were several sounds of a struggle coming from the room ahead. Arriving there, they found the Wookie was being attacked by some currently unknown species. "No!" Luke thought. "Those can't be people!" The assailants were the height of an average human adult, yet they behaved nothing like humans. As Chewie continued tearing them apart with his brute strength, Luke recognized the species. The Anzati were here!


	5. The Anzati

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 5-The Anzati)

There were only two of the monsters left. The others were already killed by Chewbacca. At this point, Han drew his blaster and killed another. One down, one to go. Chewie raised the final Anzati several inches off the ground before tearing it in two. The Anzati's bright red blood dripped onto the floor, forming yet another puddle in the room.

"Well, Chewie, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Han asked as the Wookie walked over to them, kicking several of the dead creatures out of his way as he went. "Raaaaar!" Chewie said. "He said they snuck up on him and attacked," Han translated. "Anyway, what were those things? I thought Cthons only live on Coruscant" Han said, referring to the humanoids who lived in the bowels of Coruscant, miles beneath even the under city. "Anzati," Luke said, pointing to one of the dead monsters. The Anzati were humanoids, but differed from humans because of the proboscises that were extended from their cheeks, the complete lack of hair, and their bright red eyes. "Pretty things, aren't they?" Han asked sarcastically.


	6. Not So Deserted After All…

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 6-Not Deserted After All…)

Boba Fett waited outside the building that Solo, Skywalker, and the Wookie had entered only moments before. Suddenly, an eerie moan came from behind him, followed by several heavy footsteps. Whirling around, the Mandalorian hunter quickly unslung his custom-made blaster rifle, drove the blast end into the creatures' stomach, and squeezed the trigger. A reddish mist sprayed over Fett as he stared down at the slain monster. "Anzati," Fett said to himself. "The hunt grows more difficult."

Meanwhile, Luke, Han, and Chewie decided to leave the building. "I don't like this place," Han said. "Let's get out of here." The group encountered no more Anzati on their way out, so it was assumed that all was safe. They proceeded into another section of Rakkitan. Here, Luke's comlink told them the building ahead was essentially Angoth's parliament building, where the local leaders met. Entering the structure, Luke, Han, and Chewbacca became considerably happier.

"People!" Han shouted as a security officer walked over to them. "State your name and your business here," the man said. The guard was rather tall with black hair protruding from under his officer's cap. He wore a blue and silver security outfit. "We're representatives from the New Republic," Han began. "We're here on a mission to…wow!" Han backed away, seeing the guard look up for the first time. The man's face was rather pale, and his eyes were a blazing blood-red.


	7. Blood in the Senate

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 7- Blood In The Senate)

"What happened here?" Han asked the security officer, recovering from his initial shock of seeing the man's face. "I'm not the one to tell you," the officer began. "I'll take you to our Senator. Perhaps you know Righ Aurria?"

Han, Luke, and Chewie walked into the Senator's private office. "Welcome, welcome. Please take a seat," Aurria said. He was a skinny man, was also pale and haggard, yet didn't look as lost and hopeless as the guard. "Captain Solo and Chewbacca, I believe? And, oh, Master Skywalker? It's a pleasure to meet you all. Now, may I ask what three respectable beings such as your selves are doing all the way out here on Angoth 4?" The Senator paused politely, and waited for an answer.

"We're very confused, Senator." Luke began. "The New Republic lost contact with you a month ago. Have your communications been damaged? A malfunction, perhaps?" Luke added. "And what's happened in the city? Where is everyone?"

Righ Aurria paused again, as if something was wrong but he couldn't say it yet. "To answer your first question, Master Skywalker, we have had several problems with out long range comlinks. To answer the second, I must be quick." The man looked around the room several times and bolted the door before continuing. "The Anzati are here," he whispered quickly. "They're here now, and they have taken ove-". Senator Righ Aurria's eyes fluttered but stayed slightly open, as he fell to his knees on the floor, clutching the toxic dart that had appeared in his throat. "Don…let…them," he said before his drew his last breadth and collapsed.


	8. The Greatest in the Galaxy

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 8- The Greatest In The Galaxy)

"I think I've had enough of this planet," Han said as the Senator died on the office. "Let's go." The three walked down into the lobby of the government building to find the guards all talking. "There they are!" one yelled as they took out their blaster pistols.

The familiar hiss of a lightsaber being unsheathed rang in Han's ears as he leveled his blaster at a guard. _"And this mission was supposed to be easy!"_ he thought to himself. Chewie's bowcaster took down two more guards as its separating bolts knocked them down. An unrecognizable blast shot came from the direction of the lobbies' glass, shattering the weak material and killing another guard. "Keep firing," a filtered voice yelled, as Boba Fett entered the room, leveling his blaster again.

**To Be Concluded**


	9. An Unexpected Partnership

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 9- An Unexpected Partnership)

"Why should we trust you?" Han yelled at the hunter as Chewbacca bellowed his approval to Han's question. "No time for this now," Fett answered, as he used his jetpack to launch himself across the room and take out another pair of guards via his flamethrower. Before his feet touched the ground again, Fett's scorched security guards were just a pile of soot and ashes. There were fewer left now, a group of originally twenty guards now a meager four.

Chewbacca leapt in front of the third to last guard, grabbed the struggling man and tossed him into the steel doorframe. One down, two to go. Luke ran to another guard, who had Han pinned down behind the desk near the building's entrance. Vrooom! Luke's lightsaber slashed off the struggling creatures arm. Before Luke could raise his energy sword again, the man collapsed due to a dart that had flown, out of nowhere, into its target. Not one guard was left.

"Alright, Fett. Why are you here? And what's going on here?" Han demanded as the hunter strolled over to them as if this was what he did every day (which he did). "I'll make this short, Solo," Fett answered briskly. "Mon Mothma hired me to ensure you completed your little "mission" easily,"

"And why didn't she tell us first," was Han's reply. "She knew you wouldn't trust me," Fett said easily. "I can see she was right. Accept it now, Solo. I'm here to help. Oh, and the "guards" you just had to fight? All Anzati. The success of your mission means the success of mine," said the Mandalorian, who already began charging his blaster rifle and taking aim as more Anzati guards approached.


	10. Galactic Plague

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 10- Galactic Plague)

"First things first, Han," Luke told his seething friend. "Let's get out of this building."

"I'm getting sick of this place," said Han, who continued glowering at Fett as Luke attempted to push Han through the main doors.

"Right then. Our first objective should be to leave. Now." Boba Fett continued as if nothing had happened. "I parked the _Slave I_ near your ship. If we go now, we might get there in time."

"In time for what?" Luke questioned, curious.

"In time to live," Fett answered quickly. "Haven't you heard what Aurria told you? The Anzati are taking over. Our best bet is to get off this planet now. With any luck, the New Republic will react like they should and perform an orbital bombardment," Fett continued. "Or it'll be the next Galactic Plague…"


	11. Target Practice All Over Again

Galactic Plague

10 years A.B.Y.

(Chapter 11- Target Practice All Over Again…)

"Run!" Han yelled as a new horde of Anzati flung themselves at them. "To the _Falcon_!" he said, as the three friends began the journey back to their ship. Once again, Fett activated his jetpack, waited several seconds until Luke, Han, and Chewie had moved away from the Anzati, and fired a rocket from his wrist launcher. BOOM! Six of the eight Anzati chasing them were gone, turned into nothing more than dust on the roads of Rakkitan by the hunter' high-powered explosive. Luke summoned the Force to him, trying to call it for use. Han could feel an intense wind on the back of his neck as Luke used a Force Push, knocking the last two of the creatures into the small building that was now collapsing from the aftershock of Fett's rocket.

_At last, _thought Han as they approached the _Millennium Falcon_. He could now see the small ship that was grounded in a nearby cave. "The _Slave I_," the Corellian muttered under his breath. Han still couldn't believe their luck at actually having Boba Fett on their side.

"This is where I go," Fett said as Chewie disappeared into the _Falcon_, getting it prepped for takeoff.

"You should really consider working for the New Republic more," Luke told Fett.

"I go where the money goes", Boba Fett said. "Goodbye, Skywalker. It was good to finally work with you. And you, Solo," continued Fett, as he walked up the landing ramp to his ship.

"Yeah, yeah. Somehow I don't feel like crying yet," Han said. "Luke we gotta go."

Back in space, the _Millennium Falcon_ cleared the atmosphere and prepared for the jump to Lightspeed. "Luke, its kind of obvious now, but I'll say it," Han said in the cockpit as the white streaks that were stars began flying past them at a more rapid pace. "I think we found the Anzati homeworld. I think we just discovered Anzat."

The End


End file.
